Cutting-die.



UNITED STATES PATENT QEETGE.

CUTTING-DIE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 25, 1906.

Application filed May 31, 1906. Serial No. 319.473.

1'0 (LZZ lull/07771 it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. LIMA, of Lynn, in the county of Essex andState of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Cutting-Dies, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to dies for cutting from sole-leather or othermaterial articles such as heel-lifts,

The invention has for its object to provide a cutting-die adapted toform a piece or part such as a heel-lift, having a beveled edge, whichis made permanent by the compression of the article during the operationof cutting the same from a sheet or piece of material.

The invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed todescribe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the body portion of acutting-die embodying my invention, the platen, hereinafter referred to,being removed. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section showing myimproved die in condition for operation, the die being shown as restingon a sheet of material from which a lift is to be cut. Fig. 3 representsa view similar to a portion of Fig. 2, showing the relative positions ofthe die and platen after the edge of the die has passed through thematerial. Fig. 4 represents a perspective view of the platen.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

In the drawings, 12 represents the body of a hollow die having at oneend a continuous cutting edge 13, which in this embodiment of myinvention is of heel form and is adapted to cut from a piece ofsole-leather a top lift for a heel. The cutting edge 13 is formed by theintersection with the outer face of the die of an inner wall or face 14,which is beveled or inclined inwardly from the cutting edge toward theupper end or head of the die, so that when the die is resting on a sheetof leather 15, as shown in Fig. 2, the wall or face 14 will overhangportions of the upper surface of said sheet and will exert inwardcompressive force on the portion of the sheet which is cut out by theaction of the die when the die is forced into the sheet.

Cutting-dies the cutting edges of which are formed by beveled innerwalls orfaces arranged substantially as above described are well known;but heretofore they have been of such construction as to cause theinward displacement of the material by the beveled wall or face 14 tolaterally displace or buckle the lift or piece 17 cut from the sheet,the central portion of the piece bulging upwardly from the cutting-bed16 into the interior of the die. hen the piece 17 is removed from thedie, it tends to spring back to its normal flat condition, this actionchanging the bevel or inclination of the edge of the blank formed by thebeveled face of the die.

In carrying out my invention I provide the die with means for limitingthe movement of the upper face of the piece or lift 17 into the die andfor preventing the inward bending or deflection of the blank by thedisplacing action of the beveled wall 14, the said means cooperatingwith the cutting bed or block in compressing the piece 17 between itstop and bottom faces while the edges of the piece are being compressedby the inclined die-Wall 14. To this end I provide a presser or platen18, which is movable to a limited extent into the die and is formed tocover the'greater part of the upper surface of that portion of thematerial which forms the piece 17. The platen 18 is preferably projectedby a spring so that its outer face is substantially flush with thecutting edge of the die.

20 represents a shoulder formed on the internal surface of the die abovethe cutting edge, said shoulder forming a stop against which the platenabuts when it has been forced into the die by its bearing on thematerial, said stop positively arresting the inward movement of theplaten and making it, in effect, a rigid part of the die. Thearrangement of the platen and of the stop 20 is such that the platen isarrested by the stop before the cutting edge of the die has passedthrough thematerial, so that the piece 17 is compressed between thecutting-bed 16 and the platen during the operation of cutting or dyingout the said piece.

It will be seen that the platen controls the material from the beginningof the cutting operation and prevents it from being laterally deflectedor buckling upwardly into the die. The material displaced or crowdedinwardly by the inclined wall 14 of the die is therefore compressed intothe body of the piece 17 instead of being taken up by the extended areaof the piece formed by the bulging of the same info the die which wouldform as the platen.

take place if the platen were not employed. The material is thereforecompressed both vertically by the platen and laterally by the beveledinner walls, so that the beveled edge of the piece is made permanent. Itwill also be seen that the compression of the piece 17 between thecutting-bed and the platen and the inward compression of the edge of thepiece by the inclined Wall 14 insures a compression of all the surfaceportions of the piece 17, thetop and bottom surfaces being compressed bythe cutting-die and the platen, while the edges are compressed by theinclined wall 14. The piece 17 therefore emerges from the die completelyformed and free from liability to lose the predetermined form impartedby the die by any springing or expanding action.

My improvement above described is especially useful in the production oftop lifts for heels, as it enables completed lifts to be rapidly andeconomically produced, the finish imparted to the lifts by the die beingsuch that no subsequent trimming or burnishing operations are necessary.

The portion of the cutting edge which forms the breast of a top liftwill usually be provided with an inner face without the describedinclination or bevel, so that the breast of the top lift will besubstantially at right angles with its tread-surface.

The spring 19, besides holding down the material and preventing it frombuckling into the die during the dying-0ut operation, also projects theplaten and ejects the completed piece 17 from the die. The platen 18 maybe rendered adjustable by means of one or more thin Washers 22 of thesame general When the sheet 15 to be cut is of maximum thickness, thewasher will not be required; but when a thinner sheet is to be cut oneor more Washers may be placed on the back of the platen to increase itsthick- IIGSS.

'I claim 1. A hollow cutting-die having its inner wall beveled orinclined inwardly from the cutting edge toward the head of the die toimpart a beveled edge to the cut blank, a presser, and means forlimiting the movement of the presser to restrict movement of the upperface of the blank into the die and prevent the inward bending ordeflection of the blank by the displacing action of said beveled Wall,whereby the material is compressed both vertically and laterally.

2. A hollow cutting-die having its inner wall beveled or inclinedinwardly from the cutting edge toward the head of the die to impart abeveled edge to the cut blank, the die having also a blank-pressingplaten which is movable to a limited extent within the die, and meansfor positively stopping the inward movement of the platen before thecutting edge completes its operation to cause the compression of theblank between the platen and the cutting-bed, the said platen preventing inward deflection or bending of the blank by the action of theinclined die-wall.

3. A hollow cutting-die having its inner wall beveled or inclinedinwardly from the cutting edge toward the head of the die to impart abeveled edge to the cut blank, the die having also a blank-pressingplaten which is movable to a limited extent within the die, 1 and arigid stop which engages the platen and positively limits its entranceinto the die, with its pressing-surface ata point below the upperportion of the said beveled inner walls,

whereby the blank is vertically compressedffiBo at the same time that itis laterally-compressed.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

- FRANK J. LIMA.

Witnesses:

J. A. WELCH, L.-H. LIBBY.

